Apparatus for storing stacked articles



April 18, 1961 E. L. BROWN APPARATUS FOR STORING STACKED ARTICLES Filed Aug. 8, 1957 M Z F ZZZZ BY We ATTORNEYS States APPARATUS FOR STORING srAcmn AnrrcLns Filed Aug. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 676,995 Claims. (Cl. 312-41 The present invention relates in general to self-leveling apparatus for receiving, storing and dispensing articles, and more particularly to improvements in unitary apparatus for storing and automatically dispensing stacked articles of approximately uniform size and weight of the general type disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,226,308.

Heretofore, dispensing and storing units of the selfleveling type have been devised which generally comprise an elongated well having a cross-section corresponding substantially to the peripheral shape of plates, cups and saucers, and like dishes, the well being designed to accommodate the articles and store them in stacked relationship below a countertop or the like. A movable carrier plate which is axially slidable within the well bears against the lowermost article and is biased toward the upper end of the well by means of a calibrated spring which is designed to maintain the uppermost article of the stack of articles of any number up to the maximum capacity of the unit immediately above or adjacent the upper end of the well. Maintenance of high standards of sanitation with units of this type has presented significant problems. it is highly important that these units be frequently and carefully cleaned as they are adapted primarily for use in cafeterias and commercial eating establishments to store the plates, cups and saucers and the like. However, the dispensing and storing units of this type which have been heretofore commercially available have been difiicult to clean as the calibrated spring urges the carrier to its uppermost position adjacent the entrance to the well when the unit is empty and the operating mechanism is generally inaccessible. Additionally, it has been found desirable that such units be subject to regulation to adjust the height at which the uppermost article stored in the unit is projected above the upper end of the well. I

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of self-leveling dispensing apparatus for dishes and the like having a novel mechanism for effecting ready adjustment of the position of the uppermost stored article above the top of the storing well.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel self-leveling dispensing apparatus calibrated to maintain the uppermost of any number of stacked articles up to the capacity of the unit at a selected position relative to countertop level, wherein the number of stored articles extending above the countertop level may be changed as desired without interfering with the cali bration of the unit.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a self-leveling dispensing apparatus which is subject to ready adjustment of the level of the uppermost of the stacked articles housed therein, wherein the apparatus may be quickly dismantled to facilitate careful cleaning of all the components thereof Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel self-leveling dispensing apparatus having a facility for adjusting the reference level to which the uppermost of the stacked articles is urged by a calibrated Patented Apr. 18, 1961 spring, wherein the adjusting mechanism is assembled with the carrier head which supports the lowermost of the stacked articles and is readily withdrawable from the well with the carrier head to facilitate cleaning of the components of the apparatus.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detail description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section view of the self-leveling storing and dispensing apparatus embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal transverse section view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, the apparatus of the present invention comprises an elongated cylindrical well housing assembly indicated generally by the reference character 10 adapted to extend through an opening 11, which in the preferred embodiment is circular, provided in a horizontal countertop 12. The well housing assembly 10 includes an annular collar 13 terminating at its upper end in an outwardly projecting annular flange 14 lying in a plane extending normal to the axis of the collar 13. The flange 14 formed at the upper end of the collar 13 is designed to bear upon the countertop portions bounding the opening 11 to support the well housing assembly 10 in depending relation from the countertop 12. An elongated housing tube 15 of sheetmetal is adapted to house the dishes, indicated at 16, or other articles to be stacked and stored, the upper end of the housing tube 15 being lapped over and secured to the portions of the collar 13 depending from the flange 14. The lower end of the housing tube 15 is closed by a circular base plate 17 having a depending peripheral flange 18 which is lapped by the lower end portions of the housing tube 15 and secured thereto. Annular beads or indentations 19 and 20, respectively, determine the limits of insertion of the supporting collar 13 and base plate 17 within the housing tube 15.

A calibrated helical spring 21 is housed within the cylindrical housing tube 15 and is supported at its lower end by mere abutment with the upwardly facing surface of the base plate 17. The upper end of the calibrated spring 21 resiliently urges a load carrier assembly 22 upwardly toward the entrance end of the well assembly 10 at the countertop 12 and is calibrated to position the load carrier assembly 22 when a predetermined maximum or capacity load of dishes 16 are supported thereon so as to position the uppermost dish 16 at a predetermined level at or adjacent to the plane of the upper surface of the countertop 12. The calibration of the spring is also such as to raisereduced loads of dishes below the capacity load to levels so related to their weights that the uppermost dish is always maintained at approximately the preselected level at or adjacent to the upper surface of the countertop 12.

The load carrier assembly 22 comprises a carrier head 23 in the form of a sheet metal disk having a circumference slightly smaller than the circumference of the inner surface of the housing tube. 15 and having a depending peripheral fiange 24. A guide tube or skirt 25 is secured to the depending flange 24 and depends therefrom. The guide tube 25 approximately conforms to the curvature of the inner surface of the housing tube 15 to form an extended bearing surface cooperating with the walls of the housing tube 15 to resist canting or tilting of the carrier head 23 relative to the axis of the tube as the carrier head 23 is shifted axially of the housing tube 15. A'pilot tube 26 is likewise supported at its upper end to the carrier head 23 in depending relation thereto and in'coaxial relation to the guide tube 25. Supported for slidable movement axially of the carrier head 23 and housing tube 15 and within pilot tube 26-is a circular pressure plate '27 having a depending peripheral flange 28 defining a downwardly .opening cup-shaped body designed to receive the upper end of the calibrated spring 21. A threaded collar 29 extendsthrough acentral aperture in the pressure plate 27 and is spot weldedto-the pressure plate. An adjusting bolt 30 is threaded through in an aperture 31 formed in the carrier head 23 in the center thereof. The adjusting bolt 30 is supported against axial movement relative to the carrier head 23 by the enlarged bolt head 32 hearing against the upper surface of the carrier head 23 bounding the aperture 31 and by a the, threaded bushing 33; which isthreaded tightly onto the bolt 30 and'li es just below'the lower surface of the carrier head 23. V The head 32 f the" adjusting bolt 30 is provided with a conventional lift ring 34 which may be pivoted upwardly to facilitatem'anual rotation of the "adjusting bolt 30,. and'the carrier head 23 adjacent the opening 31 therein is provided with. a recessed area 35- of 'sufiioient; size to accommodate thehead 32 and lift ring 34 of the adjusting bolt 30 below the plane of the upper surface of the carrier head 23. Awasher 36 and cotter key'37 are provided at' the lower end of the ad 'justing bolt 30 to limit downward movement of the threaded bushing 33 upon rotation of'the adjusting screw 39.

the threaded collar 29 and is journalled at its upper'end -wardly or downwardly from its previous level.

opening of the threaded collar 29 causes collar 29 to be raised or lowered along the axis of the bolt 30 and of the well assembly 10 to carry the pressure plate 27 up- 7 V This effects a variation in the spacing of the upper end of the spring 21 from thecarrier head 23 to vary the extent of projection of the uppermost dish or dishes above the reference plane of the countertop 12.- When the pressure plate 27'is lowered or raised in this'mannergthe amount of elongation of the spring 21 is not afiected but the carrier'head 23 is raised or lowered a similar distance thereby increasing or decreasing thenumber of dishes 16 which extend above the countertop'levelr In order to clean the apparatus,'the entire well housing assembly 10 may' be removed from the :opening 11 in j the'countertop 12 by gripping the housing unit 10 when the unit is'empty and lifting it out of the counter, or the housingunit 10 may be left in .the counter and merely the. load carrier assembly 22 removed therefrom. The load carrier assembly .22. is readily removable from the well housing assembly 10 by grasping the lift ring 34 and lifting the same upwardly through the open upper end of the well housing assembly 10. Since the adjusting bolt A plurality of upright guide posts 33 spaced uniformly about the annular collar 13 are removably fixed to the outwardly projecting flange 14 of the collar 13 to generally confine the dishes 16 projecting above the upper surface of the countertop 12 to a state of substantial alignment with the' stacked articles recessedwithin the well assembly 11) and afiord hand openings whereby the dishes positioned by thefposts maybe manually grasped and lifted. V j V p In the normal conditions of use of the present invention,the well housing assembly 10 consisting of the annula'r collar 13, the housingtube 15, and theba'se plate 17 secured together into a' unitary assembly are installed in the countertop 12 by lowering the assembly through the opening 11 until the flanges 14 of the collar 13 rest upon th eupper surface of the countertop 12 bounding the opening 11. The spring 21 is then lowered into the housing topand'the load carrier assembly 22 is lowcred; through the open end of the well housing assembly 10 until the upper end of the spring is received within the pilot tube 26 and guided into the downwardly opening cupshaped pressure plate 27. To assist in properly registering the lower end of the pilot tube 26 with the spring" 21, the lip of the pilot tube 26 at'the lower end thereof is flared outwardly as indicated at '26,

Dishes 1 6 or other articles to be stored in the ,unit

head 32 and bushing 33hold the adjusting bolt against axial displacement relative, to the carrier head 23, the carrier head-23 and the pilot tube 26 and guide tube 25 carried therebyare all withdrawn from the housing assembly 10. as the' lift ring 34f is thus drawnnpwardly'.

Also, the; pressure plate 27 which is spot welded'to the threaded :collar 29 threadedzonto the "adjusting, screw 30 is withdrawn with these components; Thus, the entire load carrier assembly 22 may be readily withdrawn from the well housing assembly 10, leavingonly the calibrated spring 211 in the housing 10 which maybe also readily lifted out of the well.

While only one preferred embodiment of the invention has beeniparticularly shown and described, it is apparent that other modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposedby the prior art and are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: V I p a 1. A self-leveling device for storing and feeding stacked articles comprising an elongated vertical upwardly opening housing for accommodating a plurality of articles therein, a base for said housing closing the lower end may then be placed on the carrier head 23. The spring 21 in accordance with conventional practice is calibrated to support and counterbala'ncethe weight of articles of a given range of materials so that regardless of whether 7 articles are added to or removed from the stack of articles supported on the carrier, the entire load of articles is raised or lowered a correlated distance to always maintain the uppermost stored article at a constant level with I respect to the top of the counter. This level is usually selected was to dispose'o'ne or two plates above the plane of theupper surface of the countertop. Consequently, when the dishes are placed on the carrier head 23 in stacked relationship, the: carrier begins 'to descend into 'manually adjusted to increase or decrease the distance the thereof, acarrier for stacked articles reciprocable within said housing along the axis thereof having a platform member extending transversely over thear'ea of the'housing for supporting the articles, a compression spring disposed between said carrier and said base for yieldingly supporting said carrier and a load of stacked articles-thereon with the uppermost unit of said articles at a reference level adjacent the upper end ofsaid housing, said compression spring being calibrated to'compress or expand respectively'to lower or raise stacked articles on the carrier a givendistance for each gi'v en adidtion or decrement in the weight of the load, pressure platemeansforming an abutment surface for the upper end of 'said compression spring, means for supporting saidpressure plate means in spaced relation to said platform member of said carrier comprising means projecting through said platformmeinbr and exposed for manipulation through the open end of said housingfor adjusting the spacing of said' pressure plate means from platform member to alter the reference levelv to whichthe uppermost unit of the stack of articles supported on said carrier is biased by the spring, and a'downwardlyopeningiflange carried in depending relation by said carrier in coaxial relation with the longitudinal axis of said housing for guiding said pressure plate means during adjustment of the spacing thereof from said platform member and for guiding said spring into coaxial alignment with the axis of said housing upon insertion of said platform member into said housing.

2. A self-leveling device for storing and feeding stacked articles comprising an elongated vertical upwardly opening cylindrical housing for accommodating a plurality of articles therein in vertically stacked, parallel relationship coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said housing, a base for said housing closing the lower end thereof, a carrier for stacked articles reciprocable within said housing along the axis thereof having a platform extending transversely over the area of said housing forming an upwardly facing planar supporting surface for the stacked articles, a compression spring disposed between said carrier and said base for yieldingly supporting said carrier and a load of stacked articles thereon with the uppermost unit of said articles at a reference level adjacent the upper end of said housing, said compression spring being calibrated to compress or expand respectively to lower or raise stacked articles on the carrier at given distance for each given addition or decrement in the weight of the load, pressure plate means forming an abutment surface for the upper end of said compression spring, means for supporting said pressure plate means in spaced relation to said platform of said carrier comprising means projecting through said platform having an end portion exposed for manipulation through the open end of said housing below the plane of said supporting surface for adjusting the spacing of said pressure plate means from said platform to alter the reference level to which the uppermost unit of the stack of articles supported on said carrier is biased by the spring, and a downwardly opening tubular skirt carried in depending relation by said platform in coaxial relation with the longitudinal axis of said housing for guiding said pressure plate means during adjustment of the spacing thereof from said platform and for guiding said spring into coaxial alignment with the axis of said housing upon insertion of said carrier into said housing.

3. A self-leveling device for storing and feeding stacked articles comprising a housing having side walls defining an elongated, vertical, upwardly opening well for accommodating a plurality of articles therein in vertically stacked, parallel relationship aligned with the longitudinal axis of the well, a housing base at the lower end of said well, a carrier for stacked articles reciprocable within said well, a compression spring disposed within said well coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the well and bearing at its lower end against said base for yieldingly supporting said carrier in spaced relation to said base and urging said carrier and a load of stacked articles thereon toward the open upper end of the well to a position disposing the uppermost unit of the articles at a selected reference level adjacent the upper end of the well, said compression spring being calibrated to compress or expand respectively to lower or raise stacked articles on the carrier a given distance for each addition or decrement in the weight of the load, said carrier comprising a supporting platform having an upwardly facing planar surface for said stacked articles extending transversely of the axis of the well and having a depending peripheral flange extending therearound coacting with said well side walls to maintain said platform in substantial parallelism with said base, an uninterrupted intermediate flange rigidly supported on said platfonn and depending therefrom in concentric relation to the axis of the well to form a downwardly opening pilot chamber, a downwardly opening cup member disposed within said pilot chamber, the upper end of said compression spring being seated within said cup member, an elongated bolt threadedly coupled to the center of said cup member and journalled in said platform for supporting said cup member in spaced relation to said platform below the same, said bolt having manual manipulating means exposed for manipulation from above said platform and lying below the plane of said upwardly facing planar surface by which said bolt may be rotated to adjust the spacing of said cup member from said platform, said intermediate flange cooperating with the peripheral portion of said cup member to maintain said cup memher in substantial parallelism with said base.

4. A self-leveling device for storing and feeding stacked articles comprising an elongated vertical tubular housing of circular cross-section defining an upwardly opening well for accommodating a plurality of articles therein in vertically stacked, parallel relationship coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the housing, a base for said housing closing the lower end thereof, a carrier for stacked articles reciprocable within said housing, a compression spring disposed within said housing in coaxial relation to the housing and bearing at its lower end against said base for yieldingly supporting said carrier in spaced relation to said base and urging said carrier to a position disposing the uppermost unit of said articles at a selected reference level adjacent the upper end of the housing, said compression spring being calculated to compress or expand respectively to lower or raise stacked articles on the carrier a given distance for each additional decrement in the weight of the load, said carrier comprising a first downwardly opening cup having a circular disk-like portion conforming substantially to the diameter of the housing forming a supporting surface for the lowermost stacked article and depending peripheral flange means extending concentrically with the inwardly facing surface of the cylindrical housing wall and coacting therewith to maintain said disk-like portion in substantial parallelism with said base, a tubular cylindrical skirt of smaller diameter than said peripheral flange rigidly supported on said disk-like portion and depending therefrom in concentric relation to said peripheral flange forming a downwardly opening pilot chamber, a second downwardly opening cup conforming substantially to the diameter of said pilot chamber and disposed therein, an elongated bolt journalled at its upper end for rotation in said disk-like portion of said first cup and depending therefrom in alignment with the axis of said housing, means threadedly coupling said second cup with said bolt to shift said second cup axially of said housing upon rotation of said bolt, said bolt having a portion exposed for manipulation from above said first cup member for effecting rotation of said bolt to adjust the spacing between said cups, and said disk-like portion of said first cup having a downwardly recessed portion surrounding the portion of said bolt journalled therein to position the uppermost end of said bolt below the plane of the uppermost surface of said disk-like portion.

5. A self-leveling device for storing and feeding stacked articles comprising an elongated vertical tubular housing of circular cross-section for acommodating a plurality of articles therein in vertically stacked, parallel relationship coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said housing, said housing having an open upper end, a base for said housing closing the lower end thereof, a carrier for stacked articles reciprocable within said housing including a circular disk of substantially smaller diameter than the inner diameter of said housing extending transversely of the axis of the housing and having a depending peripheral flange, a compression spring bearing oppositely against said base and said disk for yieldingly supporting said carrier and a load of stacked articles thereon with the uppermost unit of said articles at a selected reference level adjacent the upper end of said housing, said peripheral flange of said disk constraining the upper end of said spring in coaxial reladisk-forming a guide tube cooperating with the inner surface of the housing to maintain said second disk in substantial parallelism with the base of said housing, and

an inner concentric tubular wall depending from said second disk forming a pilot tube forthe peripheral flange of said first disk to maintain said first disk in substantial parallelism with said second disk and defining a down-- wardly opening cylindrical chamber for guiding-the upper end of said compression spring into coaxial alignment with said first disk upon insertion of said carrier into said housing, and a bolt member journalled centrally in said second disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, means threadedly coupling said bolt with said first disk for shifting the'sarne axially of said housing relative to said second References Cited in thefile of this'patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS" 582,864 Layman May 18, 1897 1,333,993 Oliver Mar. 16, 1920 1,400,974 Parker Dec. 20, 1921 2,226,308

Gibbs Dec. M, 1940 

